TRULY  ALLAH (SwT) CHOSE ADAM AND NOAH AND THE DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM AND OF 'IMRAN  ABOVE  ALL  MANKIND.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَىٰ آدَمَ وَنُوحًا وَآلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ {3:33}

[Q3:33] Innal laahas tafaaa Aadama wa Noohanw wa Aala Ibraaheema wa Aala Imraana 'alal 'aalameen.
[Q3:33] Surely ALLAH (SWT) chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations.

[Q3:33] Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) telah memilih Nabi Adam dan Nabi Nuh dan juga keluarga Nabi Ibrahim dan keluarga Imran, melebihi segala umat (yang ada pada zaman mereka masing-masing). 

In this verse Adam and Nuh are mentioned by their names, WHEREAS Ibrahim and Imran are mentioned with reference to their posterity. Al (the posterity) of Adam and Nuh ‘have not been included’ in the category of the chosen ones, BECAUSE there were several ungodly and wicked persons in their lineage, BUT IN THE AL (IMMEDIATE ISSUES) OF IBRAHIM (ISMAIL AND IS-HAQ) AND IMRAN (MUSA AND HARUN), HOLY MEN OF ALLAH (SWT), WERE CHOSEN AS MESSENGERS OF ALLAH (SWT).

v  The mention of Ibrahim and Imran, undisputedly amongst the holiest prophets of ALLAH (SWT), has been made in this verse with reference to their posterity, BECAUSE according to the religious annotation, in the word al the spiritual quality of a posterity automatically includes the immediate ancestor or the founder of a family. Al or Ahlul Bayt, commonly used to address the members of a family, is exclusively reserved, in the religious and spiritual act of referring, for the holiest members of the family of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) who are identical with each other in their personal purity and spiritual sanctity (Ahzab 33:33).

THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) AND HIS AHLUL BAYT ARE IN THE POSTERITY OF IBRAHIM, THEREFORE, IN THE LIGHT OF THIS VERSE, THEY ARE CHOSEN IN PREFERENCE TO ALL THE CREATED BEINGS. THEY ARE SUPERIOR TO EVERY HUMAN BEING. (Tafsir Durr al Manthur; and Mawahib al Ladunniya).

IT HAS BEEN PROVED BEYOND DOUBT THAT HE WHO SUBMITS TO ALLAH (SWT)'S WILL (BECOMES A MUSLIM) HAS [1] TO LOVE ALLAH (SWT), [2] HIS PROPHET AND [3] HIS AHLUL BAYT, THEN ONLY HE WILL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE SUNNAH (WAY OF LIFE) OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD), WITHOUT WHICH HE CANNOT BE A MUSLIM.

What is prophethood? How is a prophet selected or chosen? To know that prophethood is bestowed by a proper course of divine selection in which heredity plays a great part, the following observations should be carefully studied and understood.

(1)     In strict compliance with the divine plan, every created being finds itself in the place it deserves in the arc of descent (downward journey from the absolute to the rudimentary matter) as well as in the arc of ascent (return upward journey from the rudimentary matter to the absolute).

(2)     Therefore, selection means putting each particle of the universe in the proper place it deserves in the management of existence.

(3)     The rudimentary matter, through the process of qualitative change, can take the form of a being, but each of the diverse forms it takes differs from the other in the combined effect of the aptitude and competency it bears. The solar system is a complex and intricate form of matter, yet all its parts or portions do not have the same ability as the earth does, nor do all the parts or portions of the earth carry the capacity to take the form of a living thing, nor do the parts or portions which carry the capacity to take the form of a living thing can become a human being; and likewise, the parts or portions which have the potential of becoming human beings do not necessarily produce men of superior quality.   

      The part or portion of the matter which has the potential to take the form of a superior human being was selected for Adam. The process of creation is the same BUT, AS EDUCATION is a process of selection by means of which the latent mental capacities are awakened and used for higher purposes; the men of superior quality and character are made to emerge from that part or portion of the matter which has the potential to become a human being.

(4)     It is necessary that the part or portion which has the potential of producing the superior-most human beings should not be contaminated in the course of its development whilst passing through the parental channels. THEREFORE, vigilant care by the divine agency has to carry the purity and refinement of this superiority through the selected lineage at all stages, till it reaches the desired destination. THE HOLY QUR’AN REFERS HERE to this process of selection and choice of a particular lineage for risalat and imamat. 

[*] It starts from Adam and passes through Nuh to Ibrahim.

[*] After Ibrahim it was bifurcated in his two sons, Ismail and Is-haq.

[*] The descendants of Ismail are known as ali Ibrahim, AND the descendants of Is-haq are called ali Imran.

[*] The selection of the line of ali Imran for prophethood was terminated after Isa whose birth, disappearance (ALLAH (SWT) raised him alive to the heaven) and promised re-appearance (at the end of this world before the day of resurrection) are the signs (miracles) of ALLAH (SWT); BUT

[*] the line of ali Ibrahim, through Ismail, remained chosen till Abd al Muttalib, and then again bifurcated through Abdullah and Abu Talib.

[*] Muhammad al Mustafa was the son of Abdullah AND Ali al Murtada was the son of Abu Talib.

[*] When Ali and Bibi Fatimah, the daughter of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), were joined in the holy matrimony, the line of Ibrahim continued in their progeny:

IMAM HASAN BIN ALI al Mujtaba

IMAM HUSAYN BIN ALI al Shahid al Shuhada

IMAM ALI BIN HUSAYN al Zayn al Abidin

IMAM MUHAMMAD BIN ALI al Baqir

IMAM JAFAR BIN MUHAMMAD al Sadiq

IMAM MUSA BIN JAFAR al Kazim

IMAM ALI BIN MUSA al Rida

IMAM MUHAMMAD BIN ALI al Taqi

IMAM ALI BIN MUHAMMAD al Naqi

IMAM HASAN BIN ALI al Askari

IMAM MUHAMMAD BIN HASAN al Mahdi

The disappearance and the promised re-appearance of the living Iman al Mahdi resembles the disappearance and the promised re-appearance of Isa; both are examples for the house of Ismail and the house of Israil respectively (Zukhruf 43:59). When both of them will re-appear at the end of the world, before the day of resurrection, prophet Isa will follow Imam Muhammad al Mahdi, and the whole mankind will follow them.

ALLAH (SWT) CHOSE ADAM, NUH, ALI IBRAHIM AND ALI IMRAN IN PREFERENCE TO OTHERS FOR APPOINTING HIS MESSENGERS AND GUIDES. It is a selection from the descendants of Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim and Imran, because all their children did not have the superior quality to represent ALLAH (SWT).

ß  The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) has said:

ALLAH (SWT) selected Adam in preference to all other creatures; from among the descendants of Adam, He selected Nuh; from among the descendants of Nuh, He selected Ibrahim; from among the descendants of Ibrahim, He selected Ismail; from among the Quraysh, He selected Hashim. All of them carried my nur (the first light which came forth from the absolute and goes on till the day of resurrection to manifest ultimately in the arc of ascent). It passed through Abdal Muttalib to Abdullah and Abu Talib. I am from Abdullah and Ali is from Abu Talib. Ali and I are one and the same nur.

Dhurriyatan ba-duha min ba-din, in the next verse, excludes any possibility of including the followers in al, as some commentators try to do by comparing the word al used here with al used in ali Fir-awn, the followers of Fir-awn. HERE, HEREDITY is the essential basis of choosing a person for risalat, THEREFORE, no follower can be included in the ali Muhammad (Ahlul Bayt) for conferring the office of imamat. 

Ä  To acknowledge the excellence of Salman the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) bestowed on him the highest honour of belonging to the select group of the Ahlul Bayt BUT as he was not an offspring of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), he could not be appointed as an Imam.

Ä  In spite of her piety and righteousness Ummi Salimah was not considered one of the Ahlul Bayt though suitable appreciation by the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) consoled her. Some of his other wives also coveted for the inclusion but were refused without even a consolation.

**The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), his ancestors and his descendants (ali Muhammad) are ali Ibrahim (Baqarah 2:124, 128, 129; Ibrahim 14:37). *They were the descendants of Ismail. *The descendants of Is-haq are also ali Ibrahim. 

**Ali Imran may refer to Imran, the father of Musa and Harun, or to Imran, the father of Maryam, mother of Isa. *Here ali Ibrahim also includes Ibrahim, as Musa and Harun are included in ali Musa and ali Harun in verse 2:248 of al Baqarah.

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(3:33) Truly Allah *29 chose Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and of 'Imran *30 above all mankind.

*29. This marks the beginning of the second discourse. The period of its revelation is about 9 A.H., when a delegation from the Christian republic of Najran visited the Prophet.. Najran lies between the Hijaz and Yaman, and comprised, at that time, seventy-three towns and villages. Its population can be gauged from the fact that an estimated one hundred and twenty thousand men could bear arms. The entire population was Christian and was under the hegemony of three Christian chiefs. The first of these, 'aqib, was the head of the community. The second, sayyid, looked after the collective and political affairs of the people. The third, usquf (bishop), was their religious leader. (See Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 573; Ibn Ishaq, Life of Muhammad, tr. A. Guillaume, pp. 270 f. - Ed.)
When the Prophet annexed Makka, the whole of Arabia became convinced that the future of the area was bound up with him, and deputations from all parts of the peninsula began to visit him. In this connection the three chiefs of Najran came to Madina accompanied by sixty people. As they were not prepared to go to war, the alternatives before them were either to embrace Islam or to live as dhimmis (protected non-Muslim subjects of the Islamic state). It was on this occasion that God revealed this discourse; it served as an invitation to the people of Najran to accept Islam. 
*30. 'Imran was the father of Moses and Aaron, and has been mentioned in the Bible as Amram.

ذُرِّيَّةً بَعْضُهَا مِنْ بَعْضٍ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ {3:34}

[Q3:34] Zurriyyatam ba'duhaa mim ba'd; wallaahu Samee'un 'Aleem.
[Q3:34] Offspring one of the other; and ALLAH (SWT) is Hearing, Knowing.

[Q3:34] (Mereka berkembang-biak sebagai) satu keturunan (zuriat) yang setengahnya berasal dari setengahnya yang lain dan (ingatlah), ALLAH (SwT) sentiasa Mendengar, lagi sentiasa Mengetahui. 

"One from the other" suggests continuation of the divine choice, without any break or cessation. It is for Ibrahim and ali Ibrahim, Imran and ali Imran.

r  The posterity of Adam and Nuh has not been mentioned BECAUSE some of the sons of Adam and Nuh were *unbelievers, *sinners and *murderers.

As mentioned in the previous verse, the posterity of Ibrahim through Is-haq was not chosen after Isa, who had no offspring, BUT THE DESCENDANTS OF IBRAHIM THROUGH ISMAIL REMAINED THE CHOSEN REPRESENTATIVES OF ALLAH (SWT), AS HIS PROPHETS AND IMAMS, ‘IN FULFILMENT OF IBRAHIM'S PRAYER’ (see the commentary of Baqarah 2:124, 125).

ß  The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and his posterity through Ali and Fatimah (also see the commentary of al Kawthar (Chapter 108)) are the descendants of Ibrahim.

With all the additions and omissions effected in the Tawrat, the Old Testament yet contains the divine prophecies which confirm the above noted facts. See commentary of Baqarah 2:124 and 125 wherein the text of Genesis 12: 2 and 3; Genesis 16: 9 to 11;and Genesis 17: 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 20 has been quoted.

·         The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) has said:

1)       I and Ali are of one and the same light.

2)       Ali is a part of me and I am a part of Ali.

3)       The root of Ali and me is the same, BUT all other people come from various other origins.

(Zaynul Fata; Ibna Maghazali; Shafa-i; Kanzul Ummal, Ahmad ibna Hanbal).

THE STATEMENT IN THESE TWO VERSES, REFERRING TO THE PAST, IS A DECLARATION OF WHAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE AS A PARTIAL REALISATION OF THE DIVINE WILL, AND IS A PROMISED PROPHECY OF ITS PERFECTION WHEN IT REFERS TO THE FUTURE.

ISLAM WAS THE RELIGION OF IBRAHIM, [*] BUT IT WAS COMPLETED AND PERFECTED THROUGH THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) (Ma-idah 5:3), [**] AND WAS CONTINUED IN ITS PRISTINE PURITY THROUGH ALI AND HIS POSTERITY WHICH IS THE POSTERITY OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad).

In Genesis 17: 20 it is mentioned that ALLAH (SWT) promised Ibrahim:

He will multiply Ismail's descendants and he (Ismail) shall be father of twelve princes)-twelve Imams in the posterity of Ibrahim, Ismail and the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), from Ali ibne Abi Talib to Muhammad bin Hasan al Mahdi, offsprings, one from the other.

Also see commentary of the previous verse for "offspring, one from the other".

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(3:34) (for His messengership) - a people alike and the seed of one another. *31 Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

*31. The real error of the Christians lies in considering Jesus to be the son of God and a partner in His godhead, rather than His servant and Messenger. If this misunderstanding was removed it would become quite easy for them to advance towards Islam. Hence at the very outset of the discourse it is mentioned that Adam, Noah and the Prophets in the house of Abraham and 'Imran were all human beings. Even though many Prophets were born in the same family, one from the other, none of them was God. Their merit lay in the fact that God had chosen them to preach His religion and reform the world.